CPI-M, BSP stage walkout in Lok Sabha (Second Lead)

New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Members of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha Tuesday over the house’s alleged inability to protect its members’ privileges and the anti-Christian violence in Orissa.The house had earlier seen two adjournments in the day on various issues including the attack on north Indians by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Tamil civilians caught in the military conflict in Sri Lanka and the alleged discrimination against Kerala by the central government.

When the house re-assembled after lunch, CPI-M leader Basudev Acharya wanted the house to discuss the anti-Christian violence in Orissa, but Speaker Somnath Chatterjee stopped him and said: “I asked you (to speak) but your deputy leader (Mohammed Salim) did not allow you to speak. I’ll allow you to talk later now.”

Chatterjee was forced to adjourn the house till 2 p.m. after BSP member Brajesh Pathak alleged that he had been threatened by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official on instructions by the government before the July 22 trust vote.

Pathak demanded a probe into his allegation, which the speaker refused to entertain. The BSP leader then wanted the matter to be forwarded to the privilege committee of parliament.

CPI-M’s Mohammed Salim had then supported the BSP MP on the issue. It was at this time that Acharya had started speaking on the communal violence in Orissa, but could not complete what he was saying due to the uproar in the house.

The BSP members, meanwhile, took up Pathak’s complaint again and started shouting anti-government slogans and marched to the speaker’s podium. Soon after, they announced a walkout.

N.N. Krishnadas of the CPI-M then urged the speaker to allow them to speak since they had maintained decorum. But Chatterjee asked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar to speak instead.

CPI-M leaders disrupted proceedings, called for two adjournment motions - on the Orissa violence and the alleged negligence of Kerala by the central government, and finally staged a walkout.

The Lok Sabha was first adjourned following chaos in the house as soon as it assembled in the morning. While Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MPs shouted slogans to protest the attacks in Maharashtra by activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on north Indian job aspirants at railway recruitment exam centres, DMK MPs wanted to raise the issue of the protection of Tamil civilians affected in the military conflict between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan government.

MPs from Kerala protested against the alleged negligence of the state by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.